Why Multitasking Makes You Less Productive

I recently had to get rid of my computer keyboard because the Super Glue I spilled on it made it difficult to use. So did the red fingernail polish that covered the letters “L” “I” and “9.” (OK, I don’t use the 9 very much, but still.)

I destroyed the keyboard because I was multitasking.  As much as I try not to, I find myself trying to fix a chipped fingernail while writing a story or gluing my lamp back together while checking my email.

The keyboard before this one was also a mess. The peanut butter toast I ate every morning pretty well gummed up the works when I dropped it, peanut-butter side down more than once. (That’s always the way, isn’t it?)

But I know I’m not alone in constantly trying to multitask as I try to meet all the demands and deadlines in my life.

A study from Apex Performance finds that more than 70% of 300 workers report they get more than 21 emails a day, and more than half say they check their inbox more than 11 times a day. More than one third say they check it every time a new email hits their box.

Louis S. Csoka, the president and founder of Apex, says that such numbers show we’re looking at our email about once every 20 minutes, which also means we’re also being distracted from a task every 20 minutes.

That can be a problem when it takes an average of 15 minutes to get back on track after being pulled away by an email or phone call.  At that rate, you’re only spending about 15 minutes an hour concentrating on one task, he says.

Still, Apex found that 70% of respondents claim their productivity has stayed the same or gotten even better since smartphones and other gadgets came on the scene.

“People believe they’re really productive because they’re doing so many things, but the way the brain is wired, you really can’t,” he says. “Yes, you can physically (read the rest here)